Product Specs and Invoice Approvals at Your Fingertips

DocuWare archives documents like invoices, product specifications and delivery slips in one central document pool. You can compare proposals and product characteristics with a few clicks. It’s also an excellent way to simplify and speed up your invoice authorization process, improving the overall quality of your data.

Benefits of DocuWare

• Simple integration in third-party applications, for example, an accounting system
• Easy proposal comparisons
• Simplified product specification analysis - from decades past - within reach
• Invoice approvals speed up - even at remote locations
• Tamper-free archiving of all records
• Storage space freed up

DocuWare - Software for Integrated Document Management. The DocuWare DMS takes documents of any format and from any source and stores them all in one central document pool - records, letters, lists, protocols, files or e-mail…you name it. With DocuWare, these documents can be scanned, indexed, filed, displayed, edited, printed, faxed and e-mailed. With the help of the Internet, this central archive can be accessed from around the world, around the clock, by only the people you designate.

Comparison Shopping Difficult? As part of your job, are you buying replacement parts and components? How do all those bits and pieces compare among vendors? Will they work together, even with parts from a manufacturer who is no longer in business? There are so many questions and lots of specifications to research. Unfortunately the answers lie in documentation that is buried in folders and binders around the company. The search is on and resources are lost.

Is Cheaper Always Better?

Comparing proposals can be tough. Would switching to a new vendor really be beneficial? Are production costs overseas really cheaper, or was the lower price only possible by ordering a lesser quality? What happens when a circuit board is covered with cheap components? No – cheaper is not always a good deal. Sometimes proposals look very similar on the surface. Even the conditions could be the same, but the end result from a vendor can very greatly. The larger problem is that all of your vendor documents from years past haven’t been systematically filed away. Without the missing pieces, it’s tough to compare apples-to-apples.

Paid Too Much, Received Too Little. You receive a shipment with a delivery slip in the warehouse and an invoice soon follows. This can mean making multiple copies. For instance, while the receiving clerk will need a copy of the delivery slip to verify what was actually received, other departments may need the slip for inventory control and stock pulling for manufacturing purposes, and you need a copy to verify the invoice for payment. This takes time, can be costly and environmentally, is not effective. As far as quality of your received shipment, at first everything may look in order but what happens when there is a problem with a part from a vendor? Purchasing may have the documents regarding the actual purchase but who sent the vendor the part specs for production? Are all these document easily located in one place for a quick resolution? Without having detailed documentation on hand to prove your order was placed correctly, your company may bear the additional costs.

Analysis of Product Details - Purchasing needs to analyze and consider all kinds of product parameters. If they don’t: expensive mistakes are on the horizon. All Specs, All the Time With DocuWare, the product specifications from decades past are retained in a well-structured manner. They are archived along with index criteria – such as type, date and vendor. Want to see a specific document? It’s easy to search and locate via index entries. Key terms such as product name or vendor can also be linked. Another option is to run a fulltext search, to look for any tiny detail such as a part number. In this way, all specs are available at once – regardless if you are accessing the documents via an ERP system or through DocuWare. Empowered with information, you’re sure to avoid expensive mistakes when re-ordering or switching vendors.

Evaluating Proposals - It makes no sense to compare applesto- oranges when purchasing. If the proposals from various vendors aren’t organized in a way that lets you do side-by-side analysis, it could spell trouble. Your company could end up spending much more than it needs too. Powerful Analysis Tool In DocuWare’s central document pool, all of your proposals are safely tucked away for decades. You can check on back proposals requested years ago and compare them with a current batch. Documents can be retrieved in seconds by clicking on index criteria like proposal title and vendor name. You are now empowered to analyze pricing and performance. Market trends become transparent so it becomes easier to make solid choices and money saving decisions.

Verifying Invoices - A lot of time can pass between receiving an invoice and actually paying it. The process in between can be quite cumbersome – copies of invoices made by Purchasing often have to go through multiple personnel. Sometimes it’s just one detail that is missing from a contract or delivery paper that holds things up. Long waiting and processing times are often the norm. It’s tough to see where the authorization process stands. In the meantime, early payment discounts are often be missed.

Invoice Approval With a Stamp - The whole invoice approval process is different when you use DocuWare. First, there’s no need to make copies. Records such as invoices and delivery slips are stored fully automatically along with index criteria such as customer number, name, address, or delivery form number. The system organizes everything and places it all in one central document pool. Every authorized employee can immediately tap into the information, either via the ERP system or with DocuWare. Even fulltext searches are possible. Processing times are reduced significantly since personnel, regardless of their location, have access to the necessary details to make invoice authorization a snap. Thanks to electronic stamps, it’s always possible to see exactly where an invoice is in the process. Clearing up questions happens much faster now so that you can benefit from early payment discounts.

Benefits: DocuWare for Purchasing

• Simple integration of DocuWare in ERP or logistic systems – seamless flow
• Secure and fast quality control by having complete production parameters
• Detailed proposal comparison through electronic searches (fulltext)
• Shorter search times through different departments thanks to central document pool
• Transparent processes via electronic stamps
• Faster invoice authorization means enjoying early payment discounts
• Space savings

Invoice Authorization in Seconds

Your staff can release, reject or forward invoices in seconds – from anywhere in the world. Placing an electronic stamp is all it takes to get the automatic workflow going. Its easy to use and completely transparent.

No More Duplicates Ordered goods are dropped off with a delivery slip in your warehouse or mailroom. Once the package is checked, the delivery forms and any other received documentation are scanned into DocuWare. No need to make multiple copies of anything. All authorized colleagues can now have immediate access these documents.

Information at Once -After accepting a shipment, the Accounting department receives an invoice. This is then scanned and sent on to Purchasing. A self-refreshing task list is constantly updated and immediately informs Purchasing about the new invoice that needs to be approved for payment. With a pre-defined link, you can consult all of the records belonging to a certain vendor with one click. Now you’ve got everything you need on hand, including the delivery form, making verification quick and easy.

Stamps Start the Workflow - By placing a stamp, a pre-defined workflow will automatically be launched. For example, an invoice that is being evaluated by the Purchasing With self-updating task lists and electronic stamps, invoice authorizations can be handled in seconds - from anywhere in the world. department can be sent to another department for a cross-check or to the controller for larger sums. Task lists and stamps can be set up in a few minutes, just ask your administrator.

Electronic Authorization - When placing an electronic stamp on the invoice, it will either send the approved invoice to the Accounting department or to another colleague or department for further fact checking or authorization. It’s just a matter of selecting the appropriate stamp with your mouse and placing it on the document. If the Accounting department, for example, needs further information such as “portion booked to subsidiary xyz”, simply annotate it right on the record.